42. Qouta, S., Punamäki, R. L., and El Sarraj, E. Prison Experiences and Coping Styles Among Palestinian Men. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology 1997; 3,1: 19-36.

In this study the authors appraise the stressful experiences and ways of coping with them among Palestinian political ex-prisoners in the Gaza Strip. The sample consisted of 79 men who had been imprisoned during the Israeli occupation or the Intifada. Structured interviews were used to assess prison experiences and different measurement devices were selected to assess coping styles, neuroticism, introversion-extroversion and exposure to torture and ill-treatment. Through qualitative analysis seven different types of prison experiences were gleaned: struggle between strength and weakness, heroic fulfillment, developmental tasks, a normative stage in a man's life, growth in personal insight, return to religion, and suffering and disillusionment. Results show that older men perceived imprisonment more as suffering and disillusionment while younger men described it as heroic fulfillment, developmental task and growth of personal insight. The more an ex-prisoner had been tortured the more he perceived his imprisonment as a time of suffering and disillusionment and the less he turned to religion. The duration of imprisonment was not associated with type of prison experience. In regards to factors related to coping styles, results show that torture and ill-treatment, education and personality were the most salient determinants of coping styles.